Cylinder stop for a revolver



Sept. 30, 1958 Filed NOV. 12, 1954 E. v KIRKLAND CYLINDER STOP FOR A REVOLVER 2 Sheets-Sheet '1 INVENTOR.

[IA/AH V. AVE/(LAND BY fr ATTOZA/EY Sept. 30, 1958 E. v. KIRKLAND CYLINDER STOP FOR A REVOLVER Filed Nov. 12, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .0 y RN w 6 Z M M A H W aw 2 7 2 m/ M 7 H H m m 7 M m 0 3 5 CYLINDER STOP-.FORA REVOLVER Elijah V. Kirkland, Columbia-S. C. Application November 12,- 1954, Serial-Non468fl08 '1 Claim. c|.--42- 67 The present invention relates .to tan -improved..action for revolver type pistls,---W,hich revolves the cylinder 0 the return stroke of thetrigger after the'ipistol -has' been fired. In the past it has been customary to design the action so that. the cylinder is :turned upon. initial pressure on the trigger while cocking the harnmen-then releasing the hammer at .the endofthe trigger, pressingstroke after the cylinder has been locked in position whichaligns.{the new cartridge chamber with ,the barrel of the,:pi5.tol,.,immediately before the pistol is fired. The return stroke of the trigger resets -the;operating:parts=foritheenext triggering action, but withoutturning the cylinder to its next firing position.

The object ofthe-present-invention is to improve-.ithis triggering action by-making the pressure stroke smoother for better aiming and improved accuracy in strikingthe target.

nited States Patent 2,853,823 Patented Sept. 30,1958

' ,forzthe next triggering operation.

Another object is to avoid. the possibility of, jamming of the cylinder at least for the"first shot, since theinitial shot is made without requiring turning of the cylinder before firing.

A further object is to always keep the cylinder locked in proper alignment with the barrel for instant use, when speed of firing the first shot is important.

A further object is to provide a simple modification for present day designs of revolver actions to turn the cylinder immediately after firing, upon the return stroke of the trigger, instead of turning it on the pressure stroke of the trigger immediately before firing.

Other and more specific objects will appear in the following detailed description of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 shows a revolving cylinder type pistol, partly in section, with the outer casing of the stock removed, showing the mechanism incorporating the novel improved action,

' Fig. 2 is an enlarged rear end view of the cylinder, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a similarly enlarged sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view in elevation taken through the rear portion of the cylinder and adjacent operating parts,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 4,

Figs. 6 and 7 are detail sectional views taken on lines 6-6 and 77 respectively of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 8 isan enlarged sectional view in elevation of the trigger onits forward stroke unlocking the key portion of the key lever from the cylinder.

The conventional present day revolver or cylinder type pistol has an action which turns the cylinder to its new position as the trigger is depressed and the hammer is cocked. At the end of the triggering stroke, after the cylinder is locked in its new position and the hammer is cocked, the hammer is suddenly released and strikes the cap of the cartridge which fires the pistol. The trigger spring returns the trigger and operating cams and levers :only afterthe; shotis fired.

In the revolver illustrated in the drawings, which .incorporates the present invention, the. conventional. action .is modified so as to resetv the cylinder to .its next firing position upon release. of the trigger immediately after the revolver is fired. The return stroke of the trigger by means .of the .triggerspring, besides returning the operat- -ingparts to their normal positions, also .turns the. cylinder to its next firing position.

This improvement in the action has several .distinct advantages. In thefirst place, the revolver is always ready for that first -.shot without I the possibility of cylinder jamming. This is very important .to law enforcemenbofficers and military personnel, when the success of that first shot may be all important. Failure to fire due tozjamming .of the, cylinder before the v.firstshot is fired can; never-coccur, .as it might in using the conventional revolver, :because-the cylinderissalready: set and locked improper position" for that firstI shot. If any jammingshould .develop .it will have. shown upbefore Tthe revolverwas loaded and would; be. remedied before the revolver :wasvplaced in the. holster. The triggering- .operation' preliminary to firing does not move the cylinder. The cylinder is turned Another advantage ofytherpresent invention is that .'.a better. aimmay be taken since the trigger stroke is smoother before firing, there beingmo irregularity -to-.the tdragt-on .the' trigger caused by OPfiIfillOIlnOf thepylinderasthere .is in theconventional revolver action. The .only .drag is that duehtoethe smooth-cam action ,of the:triggering cam. Target: scoring'istherefore highly. improvedwit-h this novel action feature.

A further advantage is the possibility of reducing the triggering stroke, since the release of the hammer does not have to be delayed until the cylinder turning and locking is completed, thus promoting the speed of firing.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that many of the parts of the action are conventional, except that the ratchet lever 10 is pivoted at 11 to the trigger bellcrank 12 to the rear of the trigger pivot 13, so that as the trigger 14 is pulled or pressed, the pawl end 15 of the ratchet lever will glide up over the next ratchet tooth 16 of the ratchet wheel 17 on the rear face of the cylinder 18, and will draw the cylinder to its next firing position only after the pistol is fired and the trigger is released.

This return stroke of the trigger is occasioned by the trigger return spring 19. The ratchet-lever 10 is biased against the ratchet wheel 17 by the light wire spring 20 mouunted on the opposite side of the trigger bell crank 12. This wire spring is looped around pin 21' and has one end biased against pin 22 and the other over the pin 23 on the ratchet lever 10 near its pivot 11. The pin 23 is freely movable in an arcuate slot 24 in the trigger bellcrank about the pivot 11.

Spring 19 works in a slide cam 25 which has a socket in one end for the link 26 which is pivoted to the trigger bell crank at 27. The other open end of the slide cam 25 is slotted and is guided over the fixed pin 28 against which the outer end of spring 19 is biased.

The base of the slide-cam is guided by the the flat surface 29 in the bottom of the stock frame 30. The top of the slide cam is provided with a step cam 31 which cooperates in the normal position with a similar step 32 on the hammer cam 33 to prevent the hammer 35 from striking home if the hammer should accidentially be cocked and released by manual operation of the hammer handle 34 from the outside. The hammer cam is pivoted at 36, and is biased by leaf spring 37 the upper end of which is connected to the hammer cam by link 38.

A hammer lock is also provided at 39 which is movedunder the shoulder 40 of the hammer cam by a slidable thumb pad on the far side of the stock which moves the bar 41 to push the lock pins 42 out of engagement with the rear of the cylinder frame 43 and release the cylinder and its swiveled support so that the cylinder may be swung free of the frame for reloading or clean- The cylinder is locked in each firing position by a key lever 44 having a slot 45 mounted over a pin 46 to give the lever both axial and pivotal motion.

The key lever 44 in the normal locked position (as shown in Figures 1 and 4) has its key portion 53 engaging one of the grooves 54 in the cylinder periphery. This key portion 53 will remain in engagement with the groove 54 during the rearward movement of the trigger itself, thus insuring that the cylinder will positively be aligned with the barrel at all times during said rearward movement.

The operation of the key lever during the cycle of operation is as follows. I

As the trigger moves rearwardly, the trip pin 51 on the trigger describes an arc with the trigger pivot 13 as its center, and just before the trigger reaches its rearmost hammer releasing position, said pin 51 contacts the cam surface on the end 52 of key lever 44, moving key lever 44 forward against the tension of spring 49. As the trigger continues its rearward movement, pin 51will clear the end 52, whereupon key lever 44,-will snap back into its normal locked position under the tension of spring 49. At approximately the same instant that the pin 51 clears the end 52, the trigger releases the hammer and the cartridge is fired. During the entire firing cycle as above described, the only movement of the key lever has been forward and backwards, no vertical movement taking place. However, as soon as the trigger starts its forward movement, under tension of spring 19, pin 51 which is now above end 52 forces end 52 down against the tension of spring 49. As end52 is forced down, it carries with it key portion 53 which disengages from groove 54 and allows cylinder 18 to rotate under the influence of ratchet lever 10. As pin 51 describes its return arc, pin 51 clears end 52, key lever 44 then snaps up under tension of spring 49 and key portion 53 rides along the periphery of the turning cylinder until the next succeeding groove 54 comes along, then key portion 53 will snap up and mate with said groove, locking said cylinder for the next firing cycle.

While only one preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, many modifications in the detailed form and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

An action for a revolver type pistol including trigger means having a conventional finger trigger with resilient means for normally biasing it into its forward position, a cylinder, and means operatively connected to said trigger means for locking said cylinder during rearward movement of said trigger, and for releasing said locking means at the beginning of the forward movement of said trigger after firing, and means operatively connected with said trigger means for rotating said cylinder to its next firing position during forward movement of said trigger after said locking means have been released.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 655,844 Wesson Aug. 14, 1900 769,277 Ringqvist Sept. 6, 1904 959,229 Kolb May 24, 1910 FOREIGN PATENTS 8,652 Great Britain 1892 

